How about some George S. Kaufman quotes?
The Sanity Inspector
To the writer of a manuscript full of spelling errors:
"I'm not very good at it myself, but the first rule about spelling is
that there is only one 'z' in is."
There was laughter in the back of the theater, leading to the belief
that someone was telling jokes back there.
--leading off a review of a comedy
Shoot her.
--when asked by a press agent about "How do I get our leading lady's
name in the Times?"
I like your bald head Marc. It feels just like my wife's behind. MARC
CONNOLLY [feeling his head]: So it does, George, so it does.
This is the way God would do it if He only had money.
--describing Moss Hart's home
Satire is something that closes on Saturday night.
Office hours are from twelve to one with an hour off for lunch.
The trouble with Shakespeare is that you never get to sit down unless
you're a king.
I'd bet on George [Gershwin] any time in a hundred yard dash to the
piano.
--
bruce
The dignified don't even enter in the game.
--The Jam
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
tmw
~George S. Kauffman 1889-1961, comment to a playwright afraid to discuss
script cuts with the cast, quoted in Howard teichmann george S kaufman
(1973)
tmw
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The Sanity Inspector
comes under the heading "gelt" by association.
Epitaph for a waiter: God caught his eye.
The kind of doctor I want is one who, when he's not examining me, is
home studying medicine.
Samuel Goldwyn: I've got a proposition for you. I want you to work
for me. You see, I've been looking for a man who's smart, who knows
what's what, a clever guy who could take over all my responsibilities
for six months, a year. So what do you say?
Kaufman: I've been looking for the same guy myself.
Pesky fan: Possibly you don't realize who I am.
Kaufman: That's only half of it.
William C Waterhouse
In article <8rig87$gbp$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,
The Sanity Inspector <choll...@my-deja.com> writes:
>...
From the New York Times obituary (April 16, 1997):
In the realm of light verse, Mr.[David] McCord was also the
often quoted (though usually unidentified) author of
the light verse titled "Epitaph for a Waiter," which
consisted in its entirety of these lines:
By and by
God caught his eye.
William C. Waterhouse
Penn State
The Sanity Inspector
My source is _George S. Kaufman: An Intimate Portrait_, by Howard
Teichmann, Atheneum, 1972
Marci Wolcott
George S. Kaufman
-Marci
mart...@my-deja.com
he thought was overacting. It arrived backstage at intermission and
said "Am in the rear of the theater watching your performance. Wish
you were here. George S. Kaufman."
Someone once said that Jed Harris was his own worst enemy, and Kaufman
answered "Not while I'm still alive."
I'm a songwriter, so I love this line (I'm paraphrasing): "One day,
the Supreme Court will rule that trouble is NOT a bubble, and 20,000
songwriters will be thrown on relief."
Kaufman was also drama editor at the NY Times for many years. In a
review he wrote, he called Sydney Blackmer the worst actor in the
world. Blackmer sued--and won. The next time kaufman reviewed a show
he appeared in, he avoided mention of Blackmer until the last sentence
of the review, and then wrote "As for Sydney Blackmer, he wasn't up to
his usual standards."
I love old George.
William C Waterhouse
The Sanity Inspector <choll...@my-deja.com>,
dealing with the attribution of the "Epitaph for a Waiter"
to George S. Kaufman, says:
>
> My source is _George S. Kaufman: An Intimate Portrait_, by Howard
> Teichmann, Atheneum, 1972
>
That, I guess, tells us something about Teichmann. There
is no doubt of McCord's authorship; for instance,
the _Norton Book of Light Verse_ (ed. Russell Baker, 1986)
says in the "Acknowledgements" section that the poem
comes from _Bay Window Ballads_, by David McCord, and
thanks McCord for permission to reprint it.
Pulsatrix
<mart...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:8rvs87$lra$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
Graham J Weeks
mart...@my-deja.com wrote:
> My favorite: the telegram he sent to an actor in one of his shows whom
> he thought was overacting. It arrived backstage at intermission and
> said "Am in the rear of the theater watching your performance. Wish
> you were here. George S. Kaufman."
>
> Someone once said that Jed Harris was his own worst enemy, and Kaufman
> answered "Not while I'm still alive."
From memory, AFAIK Aneurin Bevan said this in response to Herbert
Morrison, which would be par for the course of intra-party politics.
--
Graham J Weeks
http://www.weeks-g.dircon.co.uk/ My homepage of quotations
http://www.grace.org.uk/churches/ealing.html Our church
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/Christiansquoting Daily quotes
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No finite point has meaning without an infinite reference point.
Jean Paul Sartre
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mart...@my-deja.com
wee...@dircon.co.uk wrote:
>
> From memory, AFAIK Aneurin Bevan said this in response to Herbert
> Morrison, which would be par for the course of intra-party politics.
It's no surprise to hear that the quote was multi-attributed. I read
that one of the quotes Kaufman was most famous for was actually said
originally by Cy Howard. It was when Howard (or Kaufman or whoever)
was called in as a play doctor for a show produced by Alfred
Bloomingdale of Bloomingdale's stores. Howard watched a run-through of
the show and was then asked for his advice. The response: "Close the
show and keep the store open nights."
By the way, a famous Kaufman gag was stolen lock, stock, and barrel--
and without attribution--by the Frasier TV show. It really bugged me.
Graham Weeks
> In article <39E40CC7...@dircon.co.uk>,
> wee...@dircon.co.uk wrote:
> >
> > From memory, AFAIK Aneurin Bevan said this in response to Herbert
> > Morrison, which would be par for the course of intra-party politics.
>
> It's no surprise to hear that the quote was multi-attributed. I read
> that one of the quotes Kaufman was most famous for was actually said
> originally by Cy Howard. It was when Howard (or Kaufman or whoever)
> was called in as a play doctor for a show produced by Alfred
> Bloomingdale of Bloomingdale's stores. Howard watched a run-through of
> the show and was then asked for his advice. The response: "Close the
> show and keep the store open nights."
>
> By the way, a famous Kaufman gag was stolen lock, stock, and barrel--
> and without attribution--by the Frasier TV show. It really bugged me.
>
On checking my source had it said by Ernest Bevin of either Morrison or Bevan.